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View synonyms for stuffy

stuffy

[ stuhf-ee ]

adjective

, stuff·i·er, stuff·i·est.
  1. close; poorly ventilated:

    a stuffy room.

  2. oppressive from lack of freshness:

    stuffy air; a stuffy odor.

  3. lacking in interest, as writing or discourse.

    Synonyms: stodgy

  4. affected with a sensation of obstruction in the respiratory passages:

    a stuffy nose.

  5. dull or tedious; boring.

    Synonyms: stodgy

  6. self-important; pompous.

    Synonyms: smug

  7. rigid or strait-laced in attitudes, especially in matters of personal behavior.

    Synonyms: priggish

  8. old-fashioned; conservative.

    Synonyms: stodgy

  9. ill-tempered; sulky.


stuffy

/ ˈstʌfɪ /

adjective

  1. lacking fresh air
  2. excessively dull, staid, or conventional
  3. (of the nasal passages) blocked with mucus


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Derived Forms

  • ˈstuffily, adverb
  • ˈstuffiness, noun

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Other Words From

  • stuffi·ly adverb
  • stuffi·ness noun
  • un·stuffi·ly adverb
  • un·stuffi·ness noun
  • un·stuffy adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of stuffy1

First recorded in 1545–55; stuff + -y 1

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Example Sentences

O’Hara moved poetry from the stuffy realm of the Academy into bars, the movies – the streets.

Filtered air may be a bit stuffy, but would have lower infection risks than unfiltered air.

Every part of this year’s ceremony felt more intimate and less stuffy than just about any awards show I can remember.

From Time

When your nose is stuffy, odorants – the lightweight odor active molecules found in the air – are physically unable to reach the smell receptors at the top of your nasal cavity.

In either case, try to pick places that have limited capacity, and avoid establishments that feel hot and stuffy or don’t have many windows—they probably don’t have good ventilation, Miller says.

From Time

With a pop of color and fun print, this cotton pair is not at all stuffy.

It was dark and somewhat stuffy, and it was “home” to a troupe of six.

The ceremony is always too stuffy, unless it is way too silly.

Yesterday, the media were supposed to be focused on the stuffy royal luncheon at Buckingham Palace.

The style is stuffy, the syntax is antique, and the conceit is never really convincing.

It would be like opening the windows upon a stuffy, overcrowded and unventilated room of disputing people.

"No, thanks," the stranger said, taking his bag and shutting himself into his stuffy little stateroom.

"The things," Mr. Devenish, is my rather stuffy way of referring to all the delightful poems that you are going to eat to-night.

A stuffy hole, full of peat-smoke, and with a window that can't open at the best of times.

The crowd swarmed into the court-room, stuffy and hot enough already, and the air vibrated with expectancy.

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stuff the ballot boxStuka